New Paradigm of Education in the Global Information Environment: Learning from the Internet, Contributing to the Internet

Yuri V. Demchenko <demch@cad.ntu-kpi.kiev.ua>
National Technical University of Ukraine
Ukraine

Abstract

Society's demand for professional education in modern networking
information technologies, mainly caused by the rapid development
of the Internet in Ukraine, initiated pioneering work in the Computer-Aided
Design (CAD) department at Kiev Polytechnic Institute (KPI). This
work focuses on developing an educational course and instructional
methodology for teaching computer networking and Internet information
technologies. Some interesting results and problems encountered
during implementation of these courses are discussed in the paper.
The main principles of developing an instructional methodology
for teaching in a networked information environment have been
formulated and are also discussed in the paper.

The Internet eliminates boundaries and distance in the dissemination
of new technologies. But still there are many differences between
studying networking information technologies and the Internet
under local conditions and studying it in the developed countries.
It was impossible to duplicate the experience of some Western
universities, given the poor communication infrastructure and
information resources locally available. We should exploit the
new approach to learn from the Internet and to contribute to the
building up of our information infrastructure and resources.

The emerging information society is characterized by the wide
use of modern computer communications technologies, which provides
access to a variety of different information resources distributed
over global networks. The recent G7 summit of senior government
ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom
and United States, held in Brussels in February 1995, has adopted
plans for creating a basic set of rules for the global information
infrastructure (GII) that will play a key role in developing the
global "open information society" (OIS), defined at
the summit as a knowledge-based society. The G7 declared their
intentions to welcome the participation of developing and technologically
emerging countries in building GII and developing its information
contents to provide them with "the chance to fully participate
in this process as it will open opportunities for them to leapfrog
through stages of technology development and to stimulate social
and economic development"
[1].

An important role in Ukraine's participation in GII development
and creating elements of the open information society will belong
to the university's academic and research community. The knowledge-based
economy demands greater openness and creativity in schools and
universities, and the acquisition of new skills and adaptability
through life-long training. An open approach to education that
combines local and national cultures and promotes mutual understanding
between all people is required. Access must therefore be tackled
at its roots by providing citizens with the tools to learn in
an information society
[1,
2].

Successful implementation of GII elements in Ukraine and its future
sustainability requires special attention to professional education
in networking information technologies and concurrent training
and user support activities, which will contribute to training
the work force/specialists for to operate in all society's important
areas of activity: academic, industrial, and business.

Currently, the most notable activities in Ukraine are focused
on building a regional networking infrastructure for the academic
and research communities in the framework of numerous state and
international projects
[3]. Further development
of the networking and information infrastructure in Ukraine will
demand the education of specialists in computer networking and
communications technologies and wide user training and support.

As a result of a deep understanding of the importance of education
and training in the emerging new technologies, many organizations,
companies, and foundations in Ukraine have started different programs
and projects for the development of educational and training courses
oriented toward the wide dissemination of the new knowledge and
the creation of a critical mass of specialists for the sustainable
development of the new technologies. Training and user support
are the obligatory components of all projects on Internet programs
in Ukraine, funded by the International Renaissance Foundation
(IRF), the International Eurasia Foundation (IEF), and IREX. Special
projects on the development of a distance learning model for training
in Internet technologies and services are supported by UNESCO
[4]. Still, professional education on the
Internet and networking IT is only achievable in the leading organizations
and universities.

In part, the needs of developing an Internet infrastructure are
satisfied by training small groups of Internet node administrators
through different international workshops and seminars such as
INET workshops, TERENA, NATO, and CEENet workshops on advanced
networking technologies.

However, it does not solve the problem of preparing specialists
for important areas of economic activity or preparing different
companies that are starting to implement new Internet/intranet
technologies for smooth integration into the world economy and
business practices.

A pilot project on the development of educational courses and
instructional methodology for teaching computer networking and
Internet information technologies was started by the CAD Department
at KPI because of the existing demands of Internet and networking
information technologies development in
Ukraine[5].
The project is based on effective utilization of existing professional
resources and specialists in modern networking technologies and
the Internet at KPI, where there is experience in campus and regional
network building as well as Internet training courses and materials
development.

The project has two parts: professional education in modern networking
and information technologies, and training on the Internet and
service applications for different categories of users. This approach
reflects the two directions in worldwide implementation of new
technologies: professional education that creates
and strengthens a sustainable basis (academic and research) for
implementation of new technologies, and short term training
and continuous professional retraining to satisfy the urgent demands
in dissemination of the new technologies among wide groups of
users.

The proposed paper discusses the results of a two-year project
on the development of an educational course and instructional
methodology of teaching Interment/intent networking and information
technologies. The development and implementation of the new approach
in education that combines cooperative and contributive learning
models has allowed us to organize the educational process in real
conditions of deep economical crisis and the restructuring of
the economy, with very limited government support existing for
educational implementation of new technologies.

A pilot group of 50 first-year engineering students started their
education in September 1995 in the CAD Department of KPI. Some
of them will continue for a master's degree through May 1997 and
do master's theses on the Internet and networking information
technologies-related topics. Also, they will be engaged in the
development of a complete educational course on a technical and
information base.

The educational program is intended to give students solid technical
knowledge and beginning project design experience in computer
networking technologies. Therefore, the pilot program is composed
of three basic courses: Computer Networking, Internet Working
and Internet/intranet Information Technologies--furnishing the
necessary background for designing corporate and/or campus computer
information networks.

The program includes the following specialized courses on computer
networking and networking information technologies that can be
developed with existing information and technical background.
They require a minimum of additional funding and are the geared
for local conditions:

The rapid development of modern networking technologies required
a change in course content of more than 40 percent during the
second year of our program as well as changes in educational project
themes. Information about new technologies and standards reach
the students through lectures, classes and via the departmental
server.

The prospective program development will cover all components
of the new Internet/intranet technologies, including the following
campus or corporate network services:

All courses use instructional and computer presentation materials
that are distributed among students in paper and/or electronic
form. Some materials are available on the educational WWW
server[6].
One of the purposes of such work is to create an initial base
of instructional and educational materials and to adopt and test
Russian/Ukrainian terminology in real lecturing and educational
project development.

Students will acquire practical experience in development and
design real networks for actual academic and educational institutions,
including development of necessary information services for the
operational needs of given organizations and/or user groups. Also,
the installation of services and pilot information resource development
is performed on a special educational laboratory base.

The two main components of these complex educational projects
are network infrastructure design, and information server structure
and content development. Projects are developed by groups of three
or four students and include all necessary components of real
networking project design for the campus or company's network,
including teamwork organization of the project group and

Real conditions investigation

Defining user groups in an organization and their information
resource needs

Network structure design

Choice of hardware, software and communications and Internet
services providers for finishing the project on a competitive
basis with companies and providers available in the region

Corporate/organizational Internet/intranet information server
design

Development of a devoted project WWW server information structure
and its experimental installation on the educational server.

Project topics can be chosen from an existing list or proposed
by the students themselves. Most developed WWW server contents
were devoted to the department's first two projects.

U'Pavilion: WWW Server on the historical and
cultural heritage of Ukraine
(http://park.kiev.ua/)[7]

WebFact--Index database of WWW information resources in Russia
and Ukraine

During the design phase, all projects have their home pages on
the educational WWW server in the CAD department in special working
directories (reference page
[9]). After completing
and final editing by webmasters, Web pages or templates are moved
to their final destination on the departmental WWW server and
the other two mentioned servers. Original works are left on their
working directories for future use by other students as templates.
Thus, with such instructional methodology, most students are involved
in the development of both the course and creation of the information
resources.

Experiences of the 1995/1996 academic year have demonstrated the
effectiveness of this organization of student work. Student projects
in the 1996/1997 academic year have a more practical orientation,
either the design of different corporate networks or projects
geared toward students' future employment. This year's students
have the possibility of using the popular CACI COMNET III network
modeling software in their project design for modeling network
components and traffic flow.

Second-year master's students contribute to the development of
the educational and information base for new courses. A complete
information library on Internet networking and information technologies
(including HTML, CGI, HTTP, RFC and other standards, application
software and accessories, etc.) was established and is now on
the educational server and accessible to students via FTP or WWW.

During the first year of the project, five graduate student theses
were devoted to the Internet and related topics. Also, four bachelor's
degree projects were devoted to the development of components
of KPI's campuswide information system (CWIS), the gateway between
the Fidonet user group and Majordomo mailing lists, the Ukrainian
WWW resources index database, and Java graphics presentation.

Master's research work is devoted to the most current Internet
information technologies and WWW application, including

Research topics are worked out in cooperation with students in
the first and second years of the master's program so that there
is continuity of investigation and development of these topics
in the department.

The results of the intermediate phase of pilot project can be
stated as follows:

Creation of a hardware and software technical information
library (electronic and paper) and basic learning materials for
pilot courses in Russian;

Development of training materials for practical study of Internet
technologies, used both for students self-training and for user
training courses;

Involvement of students in pilot testing of instructional
methodology, development of an educational base, and creation
of WWW information resources of society's meaning resulted in
development of the information content of two experimental servers,
U'Pavilion
[7] and
WebIT;8]

Creation of a critical mass of specialists and students involved
in development of educational courses and corresponding research
activities; and

Creation and operation of an educational server and development
of a technical base for cooperative work between tutors and students
on educational and information resources development.

To provide an efficient tool for testing students' knowledge and
for feedback to be used for course revision and improvement, the
examination test system was developed. Questionnaires on computer
networking technologies have 50 questions (randomly chosen from
the base of more than 100 questions with more than 1,000 linked
statements) covering all key items of the course. This questionnaire
has now attracted wide interest among commercial companies. If
officially adopted, such a test system could be used for specialists'
certification for staff education and training management needs.
The demo version of the examination system will be accessible
in the near future via the departmental WWW.

One of the interesting secondary results in teaching such a course,
mainly based on English-language manuals and handbooks, is the
increased interest among students to learn and enhance their knowledge
of English. All the educational project's home pages have their
presentations in English and Russian/Ukrainian, but some documents
have only their original presentation either in Ukrainian or Russian.
To properly solve the language and Cyrillic encoding problems
in the Internet application, special research work was started
in the department
[10].

The requirement for all students to use Russian or Ukrainian in
textual materials in both the pioneer course and for diploma projects
sometimes conflicted with the students' own desires. But such
an approach will help to create an information base for future
course development and dissemination.

Another task of the project's current phase is to encourage wide
use of Internet and computer communications among professors,
tutors, and students as a way to develop collaborative learning
models in the department. Academic contacts have to be established
for cooperative development and wide dissemination of the new
educational courses and technologies at the university, in Ukraine,
and throughout the world, involving the most active network users
from the academic and scientific community--the tutors, researches,
students, and associated user groups.

To provide the course with current technical information and new
technologies, professors and tutors in the CAD department actively
participate in organizing workshops, conferences and seminars
in Kiev and Ukraine in order to promote the project. Participation
in training helps university tutors to get a better understanding
of the real needs of different categories of users and practical
workers.

As a result of the recognition of the advantages of provided education
methodology and of the existing needs of the networking market
in Ukraine, specialists and students in the department served
as technical assistants at EnterNet'96, a specialized Internet/intranet
exhibition held in Kiev, 26-30 November 1996. The EnterNet'96
Internet/intranet Network Operating Team (INOT), responsible for
network design and maintenance, were students and specialists
from the CAD department. Many students were also involved in development
of intranet WWW information resources. Such cooperation with the
exhibition company Euroindex Ltd. provides a good opportunity
for students to see and master new technologies and be acquainted
with the IT market in Ukraine. This experience is very similar
to the well-known NOC and ITM volunteer program of Interop world
exhibitions
[11].

Basic training materials and courses on Internet-related issues
were developed with the academic curricula. Regular training courses
for different categories of users were started in the CAD department.
The first groups trained were the teaching staff of the department
and the university's postgraduate students, who have been encouraged
to use Internet in academic work and research. Another group was
KPI 30 students who took part in the international distance educational
course sponsored by the International Association of Universities
Presidents (IUAP) that focused on the book "Preparing to
the 21st Century" by Paul Kennedy, during 1995/1996 academic
year.

Important factors for the success and future development of the
project are

Orientation on using TCP/IP and Internet/intranet technologies
as a base for solving the informational needs of organizations;

Personal experience and devotion of tutors;

Close contacts and cooperation with local publishing companies
that are allowed to receive new literature and recommend publishing
plans to satisfy educational and training needs;

Exploration of the principle of collaboration between tutors
and students, both in active roles, giving them the possibility
to express themselves and participate in the creation of meaningful
resources in the new information society environment; and

Close cooperation with different local computer and networking
companies.

Leading specialists in networking technologies from local
companies and institutions in Kiev were invited to present the
initial lectures on new subjects and products, and

Course underwriting by a group of experts and consultants
from cooperating organizations and companies.

Current experience points toward the wide implementation of such
instructional methodology. The achievement of its potential under
local conditions will affect teaching of other IT-related courses
in the department and lead to their integration in the Internet/intranet
networking base and the information technologies that were very
effective for reengineering the educational process.

A strong orientation toward reaching practical results in integration
into GII in the discussed pioneer work has allowed the formulation
of the main principles of developing instructional methodology
for teaching and/or implementing modern information technologies
in technical, technological, and non-technical education. These
principles can provide a real basis for establishing an active
position for teachers and a creative role for
students.

The new paradigm of education in a modern networked information
environment should be incorporated into instructional methodology
development--Learning from the Internet and Contributing to
the Internet.

Using Internet/intranet technologies, teachers and students
can mutually benefit from exploration of the Cooperative Learning
Model.

Student motivation to learn, use, and implement the newest
information technologies (such as HTML 3.2, Java, VRML) can be
and should be exploited very effectively so teachers give students
the possibility to express themselves and use student initiative
to achieve course objectives or other meaningful goals.

When there is wide use of computers and multimedia technologies
among students and rapid technologies changes, teachers sometimes
cannot have a strong advantage in practical technological experience.
Under these circumstances their role should be mentor and/or manager
of the educational process or curricula. Teachers can propose
contributional learning when students or student
group projects have the potential to for implementation that will
benefit society, such as helping to build the university or the
national information infrastructure.

Exploration of this principle at KPI has resulted in a number
of interesting projects completely based on students initiatives
(creation of the WWW server with information resources about the
historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine; creation of the campus
networking information library of Internet and IT-related documents
for educational purposes, etc.).

New features that should be obligatory and included in educational
hardware and designed projects are multilingual support
of server and client applications. A further step refinement
of this would be the use of automated language translation assistance
for users that should be established automatically between the
client and the server.

Complete implementation and full benefits from using the Internet
and new information technologies in education can be reached only
by the concept of an "active position," which
is very close to the idea of contributive learning. It is not
enough to give students and teachers Internet access only. To
effectively use the Internet, departments should start developing
their own Internet resources and creating their own Internet presentation.

In general, these principles are based on the university's approach
to Internet development (as opposite to commercial one), which
supposes inexhaustible access to available resources so individuals
can create consumable goods and resources
[12].
An understanding of this is very important for making policy decisions
regarding future development in this area of activity. It also
confirms the common principles of Internet and modern technologies
development, even when the conditions that exist in the former
Soviet Union countries are so different from those that exist
in the developed countries.

The project was faced with number of problems caused by technical,
organizational, methodological, and funding restraints. Some of
them can be discussed in more detail:

Technical problems

Low speed and unreliability of existing Internet links that
demand special mirroring and caching of the main popular information
resources (for example, RFC, documents on computer networking,
Internet protocols, network security, HTML and HTML editors, etc.)
on the educational server to avoid unnecessary traffic via the
very slow external link of campus network;

absence of special tools for effective student account management;
and

prohibitive expense of the necessary configuration of the
client PC for Internet/intranet applications.

Methodological problems

Lack of experience in teaching such modern courses in Ukraine
and FSU;

Absence of instructional materials and handbooks in Russian
and Ukrainian; and

a limited number of tutors with practical experience in computer
networking to cover all items of prospective curriculum.

Funding problems

Shortage and lack of necessary funding for proper implementation
of this kind of educational project. Modern networking information
technologies are quite expensive and their implementation demand
substantial funding.

The special educational WWW server integrated into the KPI campus
network was established in the CAD department to provide the wide
dissemination of its current work and basic information about
academic curriculum and educational courses. It consists of necessary
instructional and reference information and basic training materials
on Internet services.

Results of the pilot project are the development and implementation
of new approaches for professional training and education under
the conditions that prevail in Ukraine's emerging technologies
setting. The key idea is to apply cooperative and contributive
models for interaction between tutor and students through the
practical use of modern Internet/intranet technologies. Such an
approach has allowed creation of a critical mass of specialists
(and students) for the continuing development of the courses.

The educational projects made real contributions to the development
of the information contents of two WWW servers:

WebIT: WWW server for internet publishing and Internet
business and marketing applications
(http://webit.kiev.ua/)[8]

Such pioneer work will create a solid base for the wide implementation
of networking IT in a university environment in Ukraine, and mobilize
the community's intellectual forces for self-supported development
of the new technologies. Areas for international cooperation can
be found in the exchange of educational courses and instructional
methodologies among universities.

The experience described here can be duplicated easily in other
places but requires dedicated and experienced tutors to manage
it.

This project was made possible by the staff of the CAD department,
which provided both materials and moral support.

At the initial stage, this project was supported by special grants
from the United States Information Agency (USIA) in Ukraine
[13]
in the areas of conference participation, educational materials
publishing, and student research. For the 1996/1997 academic year,
the project has received a special grant from the International
Renaissance Foundation of the Soros Foundation
[14]
for development of the professional education program in networking
information technologies and information resource management.